Kalamazoo residents look to escape record heat; another 100-degree day coming

KALAMAZOO, MI – The
Kalamazoo Public Library security guard had to practically force people out,
barking at stragglers to leave when the building closed at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Clusters of people reluctantly shuffled into the
100-degree heat, lingering under the shadowed overhang outside the door.

"The AC is bustin,'" said Brenda Soto, who took refuge in
the library with two friends from
Kalamazoo Central High School to escape the heat. "It was so awesome."

Area residents tried practically everything to
fight one of the most extreme heat waves ever recorded. Temperatures
broke 100 degrees for the second day in a row Thursday, after Wednesday's 102-degree
high set a record for Independence Day in Kalamazoo. Friday is scheduled to reach
maybe 105, which would be the hottest day for the city of Kalamazoo in 75 years – rivaling
temperatures not felt here since the Dust Bowl in the 1930s.

And the rain hasn't come, either. There has been just 0.86
inches of rain since June 2, about 3 inches less than the same time period during an average year,
according to National Weather service data.

There is a 20 to 30 percent chance of rain predicted for Saturday and Sunday, but that's not necessarily enough to save wilting lawns and
plants. All of next week is forecast to be in the mid-80s and clear.

With an excessive heat warning in effect until 8 a.m.
Saturday, the American Red Cross extended the hours of two cooling centers on Thursday
until 9 p.m.

"We've had some hot summers, but this one tops them all,"
said Gwen Harper, who spent the afternoon at a cooling center set up in the
Douglas Community Association building, filling out word puzzles and chatting
with Red Cross volunteers. "I know where I'll be tomorrow – right here."

Katie Selden | Kalamazoo GazetteDzharion Reynolds, 8, left, plays with his brother Dzhante Reynolds, 6, in a small pool in their front yard in downtown Kalamazoo. With temperatures over 100 degrees, people found ways to get cool and stay cool.

Jim Greene, the association's executive director, said it's
the hottest summer he's experienced since moving to Kalamazoo in 1972.

Still, the cooling center remained mostly empty. Only one
other person was there at about 3 p.m. Thursday.

About a mile away in Martin Luther King Jr. Park, groups of residents
who said they couldn't even stand the walk to the cooling center escaped under
shady trees.

"I like kickin' it with my people," said Terry Phillips,
polishing off a tall can of beer. "We're doing what we gotta do to stay cool."

Rave Motion Pictures in downtown Kalamazoo was an afternoon
refuge for many, who huddled into dark theaters to see several recently-released movies.

"It's been pretty busy for the last few days," Manager
Brandon Coe said, adding there were "a lot more (tickets sold) than expected" for
a weekday afternoon.

Close to 200 people visited the city-run Kik Pool in Upjohn Park
throughout the day Thursday, according to employee tally sheets, with even more streaming in for adult lap swim when
open hours ended at 4:45 p.m.

But the daytime retreats were only a temporary solution. With
the temperatures forecast to only dip down to about 80 Thursday and Friday
nights, people will be left to fend for themselves when the sidewalks roll up.

"The heat is unbearable," said Curtis Murray, who also visited
the Douglas Community Association cooling center Thursday. "I hope we get some
rain or a breeze or something by tonight."